Love Is Patient
by ashlandbound
Summary: After the death of her Parents, Emma Darcy struggles to piece herself back together. With the help of her best friend Ernie and Liam, the energetic boy she's known her entire life; she can see a small glimmer of hope at being happy again. But then she meets Liam's best friend and her world seems to get turned upside down, but in the best way possible.


Losing her parents had been hard. Having had them ripped from her so suddenly after her sixteenth birthday made things even worse it seemed and no matter what way she looked at it, she couldn't help but have wished she was home when it happened. That she had been there to help them, to maybe even save them; even if it had been at the cost of her own life. Now, Emma sat in the window bench of the guest room she was staying in, staring numbly out the window. She wasn't sure exactly how long she had been staying with Liam and his parents; it could have been days, but it was more likely weeks. The Anderson's were her parent's best friends and upon their untimely death, Emma had been put in their care. Despite their slightly overwhelming kindness though, Emma had been locking herself in the guest room; wanting to stay away from their worried glances and hushed whispers.

Instead, she now had a large stack of unanswered letters to stare at, most of them from her best friend; Ernie MacMillan. He was worried, and growing even more concerned with each unanswered letter; but Emma just couldn't bring herself to reply. What was supposed to say, that he didn't already know? She was suffering. She had no appetite, she was pale and she was sure she had lost several pounds compared to the last time Ernie had seen her. Emma looked away from the letters as tears began to spill over again; she was surprised she was still able to cry after this long. But in all honesty, she missed her best friend. She wished he was here with her, she wanted to hear him say how silly she was being and for her to take a shower, get dressed because she looked terrible. Of course, Ernie would do it in his own, sweet way; but he would be honest with her. Though he would be worried about her, he wouldn't treat her like a glass doll. She could hear him in her head now.

"What am I going to do with you, Emma? Sweetie, you know your parents wouldn't want you moping around like this. Let's get you cleaned up, a shower will make you feel better, and then I promise I will bake you whatever you want as long as you promise you will eat."

Emma couldn't help but smirk, wiping her eyes. That was Ernie's thing, baking. At sixteen years old, Ernie was honestly the best baker she had ever met. She couldn't think of a thing that he couldn't make without it coming out perfectly. Thinking about her best friend caused her heart to ache, this ache much different than the one she had been feeling. But the letter that lay on top of Ernie's most recent one reminded her that school would be starting soon and she would seem him on the train to Hogwarts.

Dealing with school was an entirely different and overwhelming matter all on its own though. Just thinking about it seemed to drain Emma of what little energy she had. Getting up, she walked over to her bed, climbing in before burying herself beneath the blankets; blocking out the world around her. It was only a few moments before she was fast asleep.

...

"Emma. Emma, wake up gorgeous."

She could feel the weight on the bed as Liam laid down next to her, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I have a surprise for you."

Emma couldn't help but groan internally. She really didn't care for surprises, and the last surprise Liam had given her was a handful of frosting smeared across her face. Letting out a sigh she opened her eyes, only to find Liam's light gray ones staring back at her; a hint of worry in them.

"Liam... can this wait until tomorrow? I really... I just can't."

"Nope. I've left you alone for long enough. And trust me, you want this surprise. Now get out of bed, get cleaned up and I promise I will make this as quick and painless as possible."

Letting out a sigh of frustration, Emma buried her face into her pillow. Most days she was thankful for Liam's playful personality, today really was just not one of those days. She wanted to stay in bed, to sleep, and to have another day locked away from the outside world. Liam was stubborn though, and when he wanted something, he got his way. If that was the case, then Emma decided she was going to at least be as comfortable as possible. Ignoring the ache all over her body, she crawled out of bed and walked into the bathroom connected to her room, deciding to take a quick shower. She may had decided that she was just going to put her sweats on, but that didn't mean she was going to risk stinking while being dragged out into public.


End file.
